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My mechanic (now my former mechanic) was changing out the winter tires for summer tires and twisted off a logging lug nut on my wife's 2004 Lexus LS430. He tried an alternative tool to grab on the remaining part of the nut to no avail. He then took all afternoon to drill out the nut. He used a impact tool on all the lug bolts including the locking one. I did not see anything in the Lexus owner's manual recommending against this. However, it seems to me that it is risky to do so.

All the locking lug nuts have now been replaced and the mechanic's bill has been paid ($323) as he didn't even consider that twisting off the lug nut was his fault.

I am I right in blaming him for this or should I simply consider this a lesson learned about locking lug nuts?  

depending on where it sheared off... i am taking that your lug nuts look like this...





i have found several other toyota cars that this shape of lug nut has split leaving a the sleeve threaded on the stud...


the cars i found this on had regular tire rotations...    and the use of air impacts to tighten the lug nuts.. used usually without a torque stick... or by young techs...  i had a powerful impact... one of the other techs borrowed it one day while i was at lunch...  he managed to twist off 17 lug nuts on a cad... why he did not stop at the first one... ?????????  



these bolts were identical....  before one was over tightened...




if the locking lug nut sheared... it could be the quality of the steel...   the amount of times its been installed...   if it was over torqued and stretched...  if any curbs were impacted...   huge pot holes driven through...

this is what the wheel studs look like....   they are only a few bucks each... did they all get replaced... or carefully examined for stretch...     the studs will stretch before they fail....  when they fail...   you can loose a wheel...  



is it the shops fault the lug nuts broke.... if they are the only shop to have ever worked on your car... perhaps.. but its going to be really hard to prove.. or to get them to accept it.. usually.. lug nuts and wheel studs are almost a wear item...